Moore Welcomes Hundreds of Visitors for National Conferences for Print and Ceramics

National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Conference

For Immediate Release
April 7, 2010

(Philadelphia, PA) In March and April, Philadelphia hosted the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Conference and the Southern Graphics Council (SGC) Conference. Moore and The Galleries at Moore played a central role by hosting the 2010 NCECA Invitational Exhibition: Earth Matters and hosting Japanese book binding demonstrations, lectures and a reception for the SGC Conference.

Held every two years, the NCECA Invitational is a themed, curated exhibition that features emerging and established contemporary ceramic artists. This year’s theme focusing on environmental appreciation, concerns and solutions related to human health drew a variety of responses from artists ranging in format from functional pottery and innovative use of materials in discrete works to large scale installations. Together they celebrate the beauty and fragility of nature and the potentials of the ceramic medium. The exhibit featured 50 ceramic works by 28 artists.

From March 24 to 27, members of SGC gathered at the Loews Philadelphia. SGC International is an educational non-profit organization representing artists of original prints, drawings, books and handmade paper. The conference was timed to coincide with Philagrafika 2010. As one of five sites for Philagrafika 2010: The Graphic Unconscious, the festival’s core exhibition, Moore was a central destination for attendees of the conference.

On March 26, Moore hosted panel discussions and a Gallery Reception for the SGC Conference. In addition, the College hosted demonstrations in Japanese Style Water-Based Printing (Modu Hanga) lead by Katie Baldwin and Daniel Heyman and in Japanese Stab Binding lead by Tara O’Brien and Melanie Mowinski. Baldwin and O’Brien are both faculty members at Moore. Graduate Program Director for the MFA in Studio Arts, Professor Paul Hubbard coordinated Moore’s participation. Lorie Mertes, director and curator of The Galleries at Moore, also served on the Steering Committee for the Conference.

From March 31 – April 3, some 6,000 artists and educators gathered at the Pennsylvania Convention Center for the NCECA 2010: INDEPENDENCE, the 44th Annual Conference. INDEPENDENCE celebrates the individual and the choices they make. An independent spirit is necessary to tear down existing walls, to explore new ideas and to create work that pushes conventional understanding of one medium. An independent spirit is also necessary to maintain tradition, to be bound loosely by historical precedent and function. NCECA 2010 celebrates the independent spirits of traditionalists and groundbreakers.

In an article, April 4 in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Contributing Art Critic Edward Sozanski wrote about the Invitational, “The NCECA invitational is a handsome and satisfying show that articulates its theme with restraint and pleasing contrasts of form and content. If you could see only one show among the 90-plus, the invitational would deliver the flavor of the whole.”

Moore College of Art & Design educates students for inspiring careers in art and design. Founded in 1848, Moore is the nation's first and only women's art college. Moore's career-focused environment and professionally active faculty form a dynamic community in the heart of Philadelphia's cultural district. The College offers nine Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees for women. A coeducational Graduate Studies program was launched in summer, 2009. In addition, Moore provides many valuable opportunities in the arts through The Galleries at Moore, a Continuing Education Certificate program for adults, the 91-year-old acclaimed Youth Art Program for girls and boys grades 1-12, The Art Shop and the Sculpture Park. For more information about Moore, visit www.moore.edu.

April 7, 2010
In March and April, Philadelphia hosted the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Conference and the Southern Graphics Council (SGC) Conference. Moore and The Galleries at Moore played a central role by hosting the 2010 NCECA Invitational Exhibition:Earth Matters and hosting Japanese book binding demonstrations, lectures and a reception for the SGC Conference.